Musei
by Clara
Summary: At an early age, Kagome had her ability to speak ripped (literally) away from her. On her fifteenth birthday, she falls through the infamous well and into Sengoku Jidai..
1. Through the Well

A/N: I had been toying with this idea for awhile, but I wasn't sure if I should put it up.. Keep in mind that when Kagome speaks in sign language, it will be signified with brackets ([ ]'s).   
  
Disclaimer: I disclaim any and all rights to Inuyasha.   
  
Warnings: Inuyasha has a potty mouth. Also, I'm not abandoning School Daze. This, Kaigan, and another story in a different genre are side things, though I have a LOT planned for this story.   
  


**Musei**  
Chapter One: Through the Well  
By Clara

  
  
Kagome's mother used to tell her that there was good in everyone. She said that if you looked past the deceit and lies people usually put up to hide their true nature, you would most likely find a person who was insecure or without self-esteem. Her mother was usually right, but there were times when she had doubts.   
  
She was most doubtful during school.   
  
It was really like any other Monday morning. She stared helplessly at her ceiling and clenched her poor sheets to her chest, unwilling to face another day. Her lower lip became victim to her teeth and she bit down hard enough to nearly draw blood, as if that could protect her from having to face reality. Grimacing, she finally released her death grip on the blanket and shoved them off, irrationally upset that they wouldn't guard her from the malevolence of the world.   
  
"Kagome?" her mother's kind voice came from behind her wall. Kagome sat up and looked in her mother's direction, distractedly reaching up to straighten her top. It had gotten twisted sometime in her sleep. "Are you awake, dear?" There were a few moments of silence while her mother waited for an answer. When Kagome didn't respond, her mother poked her head in with a shamed look on her face.   
  
Kagome's lips twitched into a humorless smile. It had become a type of morning ritual for the two of them; her mother coming down the hall to make sure she and her brother were awake, and Kagome waiting for her mother to realize her handicap prevented her from making any sort of answer. She knew her mother felt guilty every time she made that mistake, but Kagome had long ago stopped caring.   
  
"Oh, Kagome, I'm sorry!" Her mother clenched her hands to her chest in embarrassment. Her cheeks were stained pink. "It's not that I forgot, it's just that I've had so much on my mind lately, and.."   
  
Kagome waved off her apologies. She slid out of bed, shifting a bit as her bare feet came in contact with the cold floor. Smiling in a way that she hoped eased some of her mother's concerns, she moved over to the older woman and embraced her. That had been a part of the ritual, too; Kagome reassuring her mother that she hadn't done anything wrong or hurtful.   
  
Her mother smiled in apparent relief, and she kissed the top of her daughter's head. "Hurry up and get ready," she ordered, releasing the other girl and taking a step back. "Your grandfather wants to see you before you go to school today." Kagome raised her eyebrow with evident inquiry. Her mother smiled at her expression. "Don't tell me you forgot."   
  
Kagome nodded sheepishly. At that, her mother laughed gently and reached over, giving the girl another hug. "Dear, today is your birthday," her mother reminded, then let go and gently pushed the pajama-clad girl out the door. "Now go see your grandfather. I have to go wake Sota up."   
  
Dazed, and still a bit surprised from this sudden revelation, Kagome did what her mother told her and stumbled towards where she knew her grandfather would be. _Stupid,_ she berated herself silently. _You really are a freak. Who in their right mind forgets their own birthday? It's not like you turn fifteen every day.._   
  
"Kagome!" her grandfather called, halting her silent reprimands. He was kneeling in front of their eating table and holding a pair of chopsticks. "Where are you going? Didn't your mother tell you I wanted to speak with you this morning?"   
  
She blinked in surprise and back-tracked a couple of steps, before turning and walking into the kitchen. She smiled in greeting and took her designated seat across from him, picking up her pen. 'Good morning, Grandfather,' she wrote in neat, precise letters, then slid the notepad towards him. The old man smiled in return, reaching under the table to pull out a small box.   
  
"Ah, good morning, Kagome." He put the box on top of the table in front of her, still smiling. His entire face showed the smile, wrinkles folding over themselves and eyes crinkling in delight. "How does it feel, being fifteen?"   
  
Kagome pulled the notepad back to her. 'Same old, same old. I suppose I would feel different if I grew an inch taller, or something.' Her grandfather chuckled at that, sliding the box closer to her.   
  
"In any case, happy birthday."   
  
Smiling radiantly, she tentatively tugged the cover of the box off. Her smile wavered, though, then turned down in surprise. Carefully, she plucked what looked like a shriveled hand out of the box and held it up with a mixture of incredulity and disgust.   
  
"That," her grandfather said proudly, pausing a bit to add atmosphere, "is the mummified hand of a kappa. The legends have it.."   
  
Kagome sighed and placed the hand back in the box. She supposed that's what she got for living in a shrine all her life. Carefully setting the box to the side, she stood up, flashed her grandfather a warm smile, then walked back out of the kitchen.   
  
_Ewww.._   
  
*   
  
She tugged the white scarf tighter around her neck, looking up at the trees with a slightly awed expression. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, pregnant and awaiting their snowy descent to the ground. A childish grin briefly touched her lips as she just stood their for a few moments, watching in wonder as the wind lightly toyed with the branches, sending a few of the loose petals swirling to the ground. Maybe it would be a good day, after all.   
  
"Kagome!"   
  
She stopped at her name being called, turning around to look at the old well-house in surprise. That was odd. Her grandfather and mother had strictly forbidden anyone to go in the well-house, reiterating several times that it was far too dangerous to play in. Her mother and grandfather were especially protective over her, after her 'accident' several years ago. Frowning, she walked towards the voice that sounded vaguely like her brother.   
  
[Sota,] Kagome said with her hands, moving her fingers quickly and deftly to form each letter. [What are you doing here? Mama and Grandpa specifically told us to never enter this place..]   
  
"I know," Sota responded, after carefully watching her hand movements. "But, Buyo.."   
  
Kagome heaved a small sigh and walked past her brother. She knew the smaller boy wouldn't set foot in the well-house unless someone else was with him, even if it meant saving their obese cat.   
  
"Go on, Kag. Go get him," Sota whispered, as if afraid to disrupt any dormant spirits hiding within the recesses of the well-house. Kagome shot her brother a dry look. Apparently, the over-protectiveness her guardians had on her was lost on him.   
  
[Aren't you a boy?] Kagome signed, a mocking look on her face. Her brother stuck his tongue out at her, nudging her towards the center of the well-house. There was a scratching sound, and Kagome's step faltered. The well-house had always been the source of all her fears when she was younger since it was so forbidden. She used to stay up late at night and scare herself, imagining the things that could be locked away in the small shack. She came up with some pretty creative ideas, and most of them were coming back to her in a rush at that moment.   
  
"Well?" Sota hissed, shifting from foot to foot. He was as nervous as she, if not more. "Hurry up! This place is creepy, Kagome.."   
  
She made a sharp gesture with her hand, frowning in annoyance. Her brother had the tendency to be pesky. She took another step into the well-house, carefully avoiding the bones that littered the ground. Grimacing, and trying to calm her pounding heart, she moved to the front of the well. A small parchment of paper was taped to the cover over some herbs, a ward to keep away any danger.   
  
It seemed as if the cat was stuck inside the well.   
  
_This is a fine place for you to get stuck, stupid,_ she chastised the cat silently. _Now hurry up and magically appear so I don't have to be in here any long—_   
  
Her thoughts were cut off when something small and furry rubbed against her bare leg. Kagome opened her mouth to let out a silent scream of terror and grabbed one of the rib bones on the ground, intent on using it to ward off any frightening, fuzzy creature that dared to rub against her.   
  
Buyo meowed deeply, purring and looking up at Kagome with a face that ordered to be fed.   
  
"Don't scare me like that!" Sota called from the entrance, one hand over his heart. Kagome glared at him darkly, then took a step towards the entrance. She made it halfway back before there was a shattering noise behind her. Much to slowly, she turned around to see what the noise was. Dozens and dozens of icy fingers grabbed her, around her neck, around her waist, and around her arms, pulling her down into the inky blackness of the well. Her mouth opened to scream, and her eyes became impossibly wide.   
  
She twisted around to stare at her captor, her mouth working and trying to ask what was going on, even though she hadn't used it to speak since she was five. The.. thing that was holding her looked like a woman trying to mimic a centipede, but had failed miserably and was left with nothing but an impossibly long spinal chord.   
  
"_What strength,_" the woman grated out in a dead-person's voice. "_I can feel my power returning to me! My strength!_" The creature ran it's long tongue across the side of her face, tasting her flesh. Goosebumps shot up Kagome's arms and legs, but she was still frozen. "_It is mine! I will consume you.. completely!_"   
  
_This.. this thing wants to _eat_ me?!_ Kagome thought in horrible disbelief. _I don't think so!_ She brought the sharp rib bone down in a sideways arc, slamming the 'weapon' as hard as she could between through the woman's many ribs. _Let me go, you freak!_ A blinding light shot from Kagome's fingertips, and the centipede woman screamed, her human arms breaking from her body and falling uselessly with Kagome. The monster retreated, and Kagome collapsed against solid ground. She stared at the ground in disbelief, before scrambling to her feet and running to the wall of the well. Her thoughts were dancing through her head at breakneck speeds, but the only thing that mattered to her was that what she had just saw was not a dream.   
  
Bodiless arms don't just appear out of nowhere.   
  
_Vines?_ she thought, grabbing one of the sturdy nature-made ropes to help support her weight. _Since when were there vines in our well? And where's Sota? Did that chicken run off..?_   
  
She stopped her mindless ranting when she reached the top of the well. Actually, to be more precise, she didn't exactly stop the thoughts. They stopped themselves.   
  
_Where the hell is THIS?!_ Hesitantly, she took a step in what should have been the direction of the shrine, but the area looked completely different to her. Gone was busy, industrialized city her home was in the middle of, replaced with more nature than Kagome had ever seen in her life. The girl blinked, baffled beyond words. It was as if her home of fifteen years had suddenly just stopped existing.   
  
_I can try to make some logic of this later,_ Kagome thought determinedly. _Right now I have to find my home! There's the Go-Shin-Boku,_ she thought suddenly. _THAT'S normal. I should be able to find my way back from there!_   
  
Without being exactly what one might call rational, she started to run towards the Go-Shin-Boku.   
  
Someone was waiting for her.   
  
*   
  
She reached the Go-Shin-Boku tree in a record amount of time, considering she had never been there before. Well, she had been, only it had been different then. She sighed and shook her head to clear the cobwebs, confusing herself even more. _Oh well,_ she thought, looking up at the tree. _At least I'm at the.. at the.._ She choked on her next word, staring in disbelief at the sight that greeted her.   
  
There was a boy pinned to a tree by an arrow.   
  
Staring at her.   
  
"Oi, wench," the boy growled out. There was a grumbling somewhere in the middle of his chest, almost sounding canine. "So you've finally returned. You have _no_ idea how long I've been waiting to rip your stupid little throat out."   
  
_That_ got Kagome to take a step back, hands flying to her neck. Thankfully, she hadn't lost her scarf when she fell through the well.   
  
The boy seemed to wait for her to say something, but since that was quite impossible she just shook her head in denial. It didn't occur to her that she didn't have anything to deny.   
  
"What's the matter with you, Kikyo? Cat got your tongue?" His voice was mocking, and Kagome tensed all at once. Oooh, did she _hate_ that little taunt. Lord knows she had heard it more than once in the ten years she hadn't been able to speak.   
  
[My name is Kagome!] She signed uselessly at him. [Not Kikyo! Ka! Go! Me!]   
  
The boy just blinked in confusion, and Kagome sighed helplessly. [Uncultured jerk.]   
  
"What are you doing with your hands, wench? Didn't you hear my question? Answer me!"   
  
_I CAN'T!_ she shouted in her mind, flailing her hands in vain. He just blinked at her, apparently untouched by her antics.   
  
"Well?"   
  
She sighed, counting to ten her mind, then climbed up the roots so that they were almost face to face. She was a couple of inches shorter than him, though, so it would have been impossible anyway. Carefully and precisely, as one might do to a three year old, she pointed to her throat.   
  
"Something wrong with your neck?" the boy asked boredly. Charades wasn't his dig. Kagome nodded vigorously. That got the boy's attention, for some reason. "Someone was actually able to wound the great and powerful Kikyo? HA!"   
  
Kagome smacked her forehead, then slid her fingers down her face. He was easily making her extremely frusterated. Struck by sudden inspiration, she grabbed the notepad and pen she kept in her skirt pocket, then began scribbling furiously.   
  
'Can you read?' She held up the notepad in front of the boy's face expectantly, that simple sentence scrawled at the top.   
  
"Of course I can, idiot! Do you take me for some kind of uncultured dumbass?"   
  
However, she had lost interest after he had said the word's 'of course', and started to scribble again. 'My name is Kagome. Not Kikyo. KAGOME.' She held the notepad up again for him to see, and he blinked.   
  
"You're not Kikyo?" He sniffed the air once. "Feh. I should have known. Kikyo was cute. You're not."   
  
Kagome's eyes widened for a moment, before her face twisted into an angry scowl. _I should have known. He's just like every other immature boy._ She smacked him on the head with her notepad.   
  
"Ow! Stupid! What do you think you're doing?" He growled again, ears flattening.   
  
Ears that Kagome had previously looked over.   
  
_What are those?_ Curiously, she reached over and tweaked one of his ears. It turned in response to her touch, and she smiled gleefully. Without even really thinking about it, or what this boy might do to her for her actions, she gently rubbed both his ears, one hand still holding her notepad. _They're so.. cute.._   
  
He wasn't about to say he didn't enjoy the sensation. It felt good to get his ears scratched, especially since he had been awake for a couple of hours and hadn't been able to scratch them himself, even though they were itchy. That was what stopped him from protesting right off the bat.   
  
However, after a few moments..   
  
"Hey, little girl! What do you think you're doing, huh?! Stop that! Do you WANT to die?"   
  
Kagome ignored him, though, too amused by the fuzzy little appendages at the top of his head. It was also funny to see him squirm uncomfortably.   
  
"Stop it! I said stop that!" The boy frowned in embarrassment, trying to push back the pleased little rumble that was building up in the center of his chest. The girl, as mute as she was, heard it and laughed silently, doubling her efforts in scratching his ears. He unconsciously leaned forward. After a moment of whining, he was struck by inspiration and flattened his ears to get them away from her hands. "Ha!"   
  
Kagome took a small step back, eyes sparkling with mirth. He was half-heartedly glaring at her, too relaxed from the ear massage to be really angry. He just watched quietly as she started to scribble on the notepad again.   
  
'What's your name?' it read. The boy blinked, then frowned. She really _wasn't_ Kikyo..   
  
"Inuyasha." He answered. But if she wasn't Kikyo.. "Could you get me down from this tree?"   
  
Kagome stared at him as if he had grown a second head. Did he actually expect someone like _her_ to break the roots that confined him to the tree? Her expression must have given something away, because he snorted derisively at her.   
  
"Stupid. I don't mean to break the roots. If all I needed was _that_, then I wouldn't need the help of a puny human." He stuck his nose up a bit, but kept one amber colored eye on her. "What I meant was the arrow."   
  
Her eyes snapped to the left half of his chest, mouth forming a small 'O' of surprise. She reached over and gently placed her free hand on top of the arrow, then blinked and glanced back up at him as if asking if that's what he wanted. He nodded quickly in encouragement, tendrils of white hair falling in front of his face. He blew them away in annoyance.   
  
_He wants me to pull it OUT of him?_ Blinking again, she shrugged and gave it a small tug. Inuyasha let out a small bark of surprise and pain, and Kagome immediately dropped her hands.   
  
"OW! Bitch! What do you think you're doing?!"   
  
Kagome huffed and scribbled something on the paper, before shoving the entire pad in his face. He pulled his head back slightly, in order to read the words.   
  
'I was just doing what you told me to, jerk!'   
  
"I didn't mean to actually HURT me. Just make it.. I don't know, disappear or something!"   
  
She scowled at him and pulled her notepad back, jotting something down on it below her last note. 'Stupid. I'm not magic or anything. How am I SUPPOSED to get it out if I can't pull on it?'   
  
"I don't know," Inuyasha responded after looking over her next note. "Be creative."   
  
_Be creative, he says,_ she thought, rolling her eyes. _Sure. And then _I_ have to deal with him yelling at me like there's no tomorrow._   
  
"Not good for much, are you?" Inuyasha asked, sneering. Her head snapped up in surprise, anger clouding her expression. "Can't talk, can't get rid of enchanted arro—OW!" He was cut off rather viciously when she wrapped her hand back around the arrow, yanking it out with surprising strength. A clawed hand broke through the roots to fly to the small hole in his chest, covering it in surprise.   
  
_She.. she was actually able to take it out.._ He blinked in astonishment at her, even more so when the arrow dissolved in the palm of her hand. She was looking at him, and where the arrow had been, with an equal amount of wonder. She really hadn't been expecting the arrow to come out at all, let alone that easily..   
  
Inuyasha stared at her for a long moment, overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of power that rushed into him. He had almost forgotten that that bitch Kikyo's spell had laid his power dormant, as well as pinning him to the tree. He closed his eyes, reveling in the feeling of pure power that crashed back into him, stars dazzling him behind his eyelids. It was enough to almost make him feel drunk.   
  
His eyes snapped open again when he felt something familiar niggling at the back of his mind. It was.. it was..   
  
"You have it!" he roared, lunging at her with sudden ferocity. The girl opened her mouth to let out a silent scream and tumbled back, the roots exploding from his form as if they were paper. He landed easily next to her on all fours, the affects of being 'asleep' for several years seeming to do nothing to his reflexes. "Give it to me! It's mine!"   
  
Kagome scrambled back, shoes digging small grooves into the soil. _Have what?! Have what?! I don't have anything, I swear!_ Justifiably, she was beginning to think she shouldn't have pulled that arrow out.   
  
He was quicker than her, grabbing her by her uniform collar. "Give it to me!" Roughly, he shook her. The scarf she had tied around her neck loosened a bit, one end sliding down to reveal a bit of her neck. Kagome lifted her hands to cover his in horror, digging her nails into the soft and yet rough flesh.   
  
_Oh god, oh god oh god oh god, he's going to kill me.._   
  
"Woman! Look at me! What did you do with the Shikon no Tama?! You have it! I can feel it on you!"   
  
She shook her head vehemently, feeling tears squeeze out behind her eyelids.   
  
"Liar!" He gave another rough shake. "Tell me where it is! You think it will be hard for me to kill you?!"   
  
_I would give it to you if I could!_ She really would have, too. At that point, she would have given anything for him to let her go.   
  
Unfortunately, he wasn't a mind reader. Since she had no way of communicating with him verbally, she did the only other thing she could think to do.. Which was pray to every deity or god or whatever her grandfather told her to pray to with such vehemence that it would be sacrilege if they didn't. Fortunately, they did. Several arrows flew from seemingly nowhere and imbedded themselves in the Go-Shin-Boku, narrowly missing both Inuyasha and Kagome. It did, however, attract both said character's attentions. Inuyasha looked over her head in surprise.   
  
"Demon!" a withered, authoritative looking woman shouted. Her voice sounded like hollow branches of sacred trees, ancient, but filled with the musical tone of nature and knowledge. Although she was so old, her stature demanded respect and attention. "Released the woman! She is not but an innocent, who does not deserve to be attacked by thee."   
  
"Feh," Inuyasha snorted. He shot a dry look at Kagome's hopeful expression. "What do you plan to do, crone? Shoot her first?"   
  
Several archers lowered their arrows. Of course that wasn't their goal.   
  
"..Lady Kaede.." one said, worriedly.   
  
"Do not be deceived, demon," 'Lady Kaede' continued, ignoring the archer who had interrupted her. Kagome's fallen hopes lifted again. "Your eyes are still blind from your fifty year sleep."   
  
"What are you trying to say?" He raised an eyebrow, tightening his grip on Kagome.   
  
"You have yet to recognize me for the miko I am."   
  
Inuyasha let out a bark of laughter. "Miko? _Miko_? I may have been asleep for ages, but I know a miko when I see one, and, hag, you DEFINITELY aren't a mik—"   
  
His rant, fortunately, was cut off when a beaded rosary suddenly wrapped itself around his neck. Surprised, he dropped Kagome and threw his hands around the rosary, trying to yank it off. "What the HELL is this?!"   
  
Kagome stumbled back, too surprised to be frightened. She blinked, then turned around to look at the old lady. One inquisitive eyebrow arched up.   
  
"Here," Lady Kaede said, smiling nicely and handing her a wooden whistle. Still surprised, Kagome wrapped her fingers around the small instrument, and, without being told, lifted it to her lips and blew.   
  
CRASH!   
  
"What the _fuck_?!"   
  
Kagome blinked, then threw her hands over her mouth to hide her amused grin. Inuyasha was plastered on the ground, face first, with his ears flattened against his head.   
  
If Kagome could laugh, she would be on her back right now.   
  
The other people in the forest had no such restraints. Many of the archers were leaning on each other for support as they burst out in hysterics. Even Lady Kaede had a handkerchief out and was covering her mouth politely, disguising her laughter as raspy coughs.   
  
"Shut up!" Inuyasha barked against the ground. He lifted his head up and glared hatefully at everyone around him, raking his claws into the ground. "Let me up!"   
  
Kagome bit her lower lip and glanced at the old lady. Her eyes were still sparkling with mirth.   
  
"Oh, do not worry about the impudent demon," Lady Kaede said reassuringly. "He will be able to get to his feet soon enough. Now.."   
  
She was cut off when the forest seemed to part. The laughter disappeared all at once, as if someone had pressed the stop button. Kagome's eyes widened to the point where they actually seemed unnatural.   
  
It was coming for her. The entire forest fell silent, little animals too afraid to call out to each other and disrupt the tension.   
  
All conscious thought fled from Kagome's mind as the monster appeared. The centipede woman towered over her, the stumps where her limbs used to be wiggling around in a threatening manner. Well, it would have been threatening if she actually had arms. Nonetheless, Kagome felt her heart stop.   
  
"What the hell is that?" Inuyasha asked disdainfully.   
  
Kagome didn't hear him. Her heartbeat was pounding to loudly in her ears to hear anything, really.   
  
_"My beautiful body,"_ the centipede woman crooned sadly. _"LOOK WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO MY BEAUTIFUL BODY!"_   
  
The mute opened her mouth to scream, then turned around to blindly run deeper into the forest. She needed to get away from the demon. Of course, it came shooting after her, much faster than something of it's size should be able to go.   
  
The remainder of the people stared in a type of fascinated horror. Except Inuyasha, of course. He actually looked rather put upon.   
  
"..Stupid," he growled, leaping to his feet. "OI! The wench is MINE!"   
  
And the chase began.   
  
.:end chapter one:.  
  


Proofreaders are welcome.


	2. Cracked Up

A/N: Remember, when Kagome writes, it's signified with apostrophes, when she's speaking in sign language, it's signified with brackets.   
  


**Musei**  
Chapter Two: Cracked Up  
by Clara

  
  
The air stung her lungs, but she knew if she stopped running she would be killed. Kagome curled one fist around the whistle the old lady had given her, closing her eyes momentarily. She could hear the monster screaming demonically behind her, knocking over small trees that stood in its way. It was getting closer—she could feel its rancid breath on her bare legs.   
  
"Oi! Damnit, wench!"   
  
_Oh, great,_ her mind hissed with icy calmness. _Now the white haired demon is after me, too. Happy bloody birthday, to me._   
  
"Stop, for fucks sake!" Neither the centipede woman or Kagome paid attention. "Damnit!"   
  
She felt it's hot and sharp claws rake across her back, ripping her shirt and just barely touching her skin. She stumbled and nearly collapsed, giving the demon enough time to catch up. Kagome's mouth opened in a silent scream.   
  
Something.. circular was painfully eradicated from the spot right above her hip. Blood and the object flew to the ground, one bouncing against the dead leaves and the other being absorbed into the soil. The mute fell across the ground face first, dry twigs scraping against her cheeks.   
  
_It's a jewel,_ her mind provided for her in a daze. _What on earth is a jewel doing in my hip?_   
  
_"The Shikon no Tama!"_ the centipede lady howled. With dizzying speed, she circled around Kagome and the jewel.   
  
_I don't want to die here.._   
  
The demon dipped its head down, curling it's tongue around the bloodied jewel that came from inside Kagome. The confused girl tried to do the impossible and scream in protest and suddenly the tongue was disembodied from the gigantic centipede. It reared back, screaming in surprise and agony. Acting on instinct, Kagome reached up and caught the tongue and jewel, flinging the appendage away from her and the treasure without thought or disgust. She had no time for that, though later her dreams would be haunted by the dying screams of the centipede lady.   
  
The centipede lady collapsed from around her. Kagome watched in fascinated horror as the head tilted back, before finally falling off its neck with a wet thump. The body squirmed for a moment, then fell into the stillness of death.   
  
A pair of clawed feet dropped silently in front of her face. _His toenails are cracked,_ Kagome idly thought, body and mind humming with shock. Inuyasha nudged her side, reminding her of her new wound.   
  
"Oi, you stupid wench. Get to your feet."   
  
For some reason, that snapped her from her trance. Still grasping the jewel in one hand and the whistle with the other, Kagome stood, albeit rather shakily.   
  
"Give me the jewel," Inuyasha ordered, jutting his hand out at her as if he really expected her to just hand it over.   
  
Her fingers were decidedly stable as she lifted the whistle to her lips, despite the fact that her insides were rather loopy.   
  
Inuyasha growled around a sudden mouthful of soil.   
  
Kagome grinned, then collapsed back to her knees.   
  
"You bitch."   
  
*   
  
'How did you know I was mute?'   
  
Lady Kaede examined the note for a long moment. Her eyesight was fading, and despite the fact that Kagome obviously wrote in larger print for the older woman, she had to squint in order to read her fine print. It took a moment, but her withered face broke into a smile.   
  
"My dear," she reached forward to jab the dying embers that were warming the room they had been sitting in for an hour now. Kagome was sipping some soup Lady Kaede had made for them after all the introductions were made. "Fifty years ago my older sister pinned a demon to a tree with her arrow. Soon after, she died from the wounds inflicted by said demon."   
  
Kagome's eyes were drawn to the still figure at the corner. Inuyasha was staring silently out the 'window', or rather, the square hole in the wall. She frowned and pressed the cloth soaked with healing ointment against the wound on her side.   
  
"A scant day later, a man came up to me and gave me a scroll. At that age, I did not know what he was, but now I know he was a monk."   
  
Kagome blinked, then reached over to take her notepad. 'How?' she asked.   
  
"He visited me again yesterday to tell me thee would arrive today." Her smile broadened at Kagome's puzzled look. "This is not important, though. What's important is the scroll he gave me.   
  
"Inscribed on that old scroll was a prophecy. Unfortunately, I cannot recall the entire thing, but one line stood out to me. 'The woman who will start the war amongst demons is covered with a cloak of silence'."   
  
"How are you so important, hag, if you can't even remember a simple prophecy?" a moody voice came from the corner. Kagome looked back at Inuyasha, one eyebrow quirked.   
  
To her surprise, Lady Kaede merely continued to smile. "The scroll had a spell on it. After I read the prophecy out loud to another miko, it burst into flames. I suppose it had a memory scrambling spell on it, also, for no matter how many times the other miko and I tried to rewrite it, we could not."   
  
"What the hell was the point of giving you the 'prophecy', then?" he asked, mockingly.   
  
"Well, we knew that she was mute, did we not?" Lady Kaede said, in a condescending manner one might use on a small child. Inuyasha bared his teeth.   
  
Kagome sighed, watching them bicker about her. She hated when people did that. Sighing, she started to doodle on her notepad, ignoring their increasingly raised voices. She chewed on the end of her pen, then scribbled something down.   
  
'What is the Shikon no Tama?'   
  
She held up the notepad until they noticed her, then Inuyasha reached out and snatched it from her. He looked over it for a moment, then shrugged.   
  
"It'll make me a full demon, and that's all that matters. He tossed the notepad back to Kagome, who caught it nimbly despite the obvious shock she was in. She scribbled something down again, then handed it back to him. He read it, then sneered.   
  
"I wouldn't have said it if it wasn't true."   
  
Kagome's mind whirled. There was too much for her to accept—too many of her beliefs suddenly flipped heads side down. There were not supposed to be such things as demons and half demons and things like that. He.. the half demon he was.. was not supposed to exist.   
  
Kagome watched him under the pale light of the full moon.   
  
*   
  
That night, Kagome thought about her family for the first time since she had gone time-hopping. She saw her younger brother in her mind's eye holding hands with her mother, who had a supporting hand on her grandfather's elbow. She saw Buyo roll over on his fat back and stick all four of his legs up into the air. A wave of depressing nostalgia washed over her and she turned over, unable to close her eyes and fall asleep.   
  
Inuyasha was crouched on the fence outside her room, tossing a pebble into the air and catching it. There was a crow demon perched at the window, the moon reflecting off it's three eyes.   
  
"Already?" Inuyasha grumbled, flicking the pebble towards the demon. It shrieked and shot to the sky, batting its shadow wings rather noisily. "This girl attracts more demons to her than a herd of dead cattle."   
  
Inuyasha sighed and leaned against the fence pole, tilting his head to the sky. He was going to have to get that damned jewel from her, and soon.   
  
*   
  
Kagome was up and about early the next morning, the center of attention of a rather large group of giggling girls. They were shooting questions rapidly at the confused girl, then answering them themselves, perhaps remembering she was mute.   
  
"Is it true you freed the dog demon?" a surprisingly short, plump, and rather cute girl asked. Her hair was chopped in a messy, short cut, instead of pulled back in the customary bun, and jagged strands framed her heart-shaped face.   
  
"Of course she did, Anita!" a taller, older woman answered in a fiercely admonishing tone. Anita blushed, then blushed deeper when Kagome gave her a comforting smile. "Forget him," the older woman continued, "why do you wear such odd clothing?"   
  
Kagome smiled and shrugged, unable to answer verbally. The women must have washed her uniform, because at the moment she was wearing a fetching kimono that was normal for that era.   
  
"Feh," the sudden and rather deep voice startled the group. Kagome turned around, raising an eyebrow. Inuyasha grinned cruelly down at her, his hands in his sleeves. "I should have known you would be off gossiping with a group of silly girls."   
  
Frightened, the girls spun heel and fled, Anita being the only one to throw a worried and rather scared glance over her shoulder at Kagome. Kagome smiled comfortingly at her and threw a small wave, then turned back to Inuyasha and scowled at him. She yanked her notepad out of her pocket.   
  
'What do you want?'   
  
"You know what I want," Inuyasha bit out, sneering. He jabbed his hand out to her, as if he really expected her to just hand over the jewel. Kagome clucked her tongue at him in the same, disapproving manner her mother used on her and her brother, then turned around and started walking away from him.   
  
"Hey! Hey, wench, where do you think you're going?! Hey!"   
  
She heard him start to follow her and she quickened her pace, fishing her whistle out of her shirt.   
  
"Slow down, stupid!"   
  
Kagome whistled.   
  
Inuyasha growled against the ground, then spat out some very nasty words when Kagome turned around to give him a friendly wave.   
  
She sighed silently, twirling the jewel around on her finger. Lady Kaede had tied a leather strap on it so she could wear it around her neck with the whistle, but she preferred it as a source of entertainment over an accessory.   
  
Something was following her.   
  
Kagome sighed, expecting it to be Inuyasha. She was about to turn around to make a face at him (she only wished she could yell), when she was grabbed and dragged away.   
  
*   
  
This was Not Good.   
  
Kagome sighed for the umpteenth time that night, half-heartedly listening as the rather ugly man asked her to give him the jewel. Again. She rolled her eyes.   
  
"Come on, cutie," one of the man's lackeys said crudely, running a meaty finger down her nose and to her lips. She bit him. "OW! BITCH!" He was tugged away before he could hit her, many of the men laughing. She made a vulgar expression with her hand, this only succeeding in causing the laughter to increase.   
  
"Got some spunk, ain't ye?" a man cackled. She made a face at him and took another step back. What a way to go.   
  
"Give me the jewel," the leader repeated, ignoring the crude catcalls from his men. They fell silent in surprise. Why wasn't the boss joining in with the jeering, anyway?   
  
"..Sir?" one asked.   
  
"Give me the jewel!" For some reason, the leader's voice gurgled.   
  
Kagome blinked. Her other senses were screaming "UH OH!".   
  
"If you don't give me the jewel.." the leader stood up from his roost, swaying slightly, "I'll just have to take it from you!" And out came his trusty sword.   
  
Well, shit.   
  
Kagome backed up rapidly until her back was to the wall. In more ways than one, really. Hell. This situation just jumped from Not Good to Holy Pink Panties, Batman, Are We In Trouble.   
  
"Hey, boss, are you okay?" the meaty man who Kagome bit asked nervously.   
  
"Shut up!" 'Boss' roared, then sliced off the man's head. Kagome grimaced, ducking the fountain of blood that exploded from the now dead man's neck. The other men automatically backed up, eyes wide with terror. "You will give me the Shikon no Tama, or you will die!"   
  
_I'm probably going to die anyway,_ Kagome thought bitterly, glaring at the man. He gurgled again, and Kagome swallowed in disgust. _What the hell is wrong with him, anyway?_   
  
Somewhere, in the distance, there was a rumble.   
  
Boss took a swaying step towards her, and Kagome crept along the side of the wall. It was almost as if the man was drunk, but not quite. His eyes were..   
  
Kagome squinted at his eyes, frowning.   
  
They were lifeless.   
  
The rumble got closer.   
  
"Well, little girl?" Boss asked, taking another staggering step towards her. His foot got twisted mid step, however, and ended up turning in towards his other foot. He didn't seem to notice, though, and did not slow down. Kagome swallowed again. "Are you going to give it to me, or do I have to kill you? I don't want to have to get blood in my lovely home.."   
  
_Too late for that,_ Kagome thought, looking at the dead body of the man she bit. She grimaced again. _Where the hell is Inuyasha when you actually NEED him?_   
  
The rumbling was now right on top of them.   
  
_And what the HELL is that?!_   
  
On cue, then ceiling collapsed on the lot of them, and Inuyasha was suddenly in front of her. He had one arm raised, blocking the sword that she didn't know was about to decapitate her. It cracked in the middle, then shattered.   
  
Kagome could almost cry with relief.   
  
Inuyasha pulled a face of disgust. "You reek of death, crow!"   
  
_That is most definitely not a crow,_ Kagome protested silently. She even went so far as to put her hands on her hips.   
  
Inuyasha must have noticed her disbelief, because he turned around and gave her a bland look. "What?"   
  
Kagome raised an eyebrow at him, then turned back to look at Boss, still wearing her 'are you insane? That is _not_ a crow' look. Either Inuyasha was a mindreader or he was exceptionally good at reading expressions, because he seemed to know exactly what she was thinking. Or perhaps he just realized how silly he sounded.   
  
"Oh, don't look at me like that. The crow is _inside_ of him, stupid."   
  
_Ohhh.._ Kagome nodded, then looked back towards Boss/Crow. He.. or it.. or whatever, was lurching around unsteadily. _..that is _really_ gross._   
  
Inuyasha followed her gaze, then scrunched up his nose. "Just get out of there already, will you? I don't want to have to touch you if I don't have to."   
  
The body stilled, as if listening to Inuyasha's words and thinking over it. Then, like a cheap horror flick, the boss's chest tore open to reveal the three-eyed crow. It cawed, then shot out from the corpse and straight towards Kagome, dodging the deadly swipe Inuyasha aimed at it's head. It raised up against Kagome, large and foreboding, beating its shadow wings against her to create confusion and fear.   
  
During that moment, it ripped the Shikon no Tama from her neck.   
  
"Son of a bitch," Inuyasha growled as the crow lifted to the air with the jewel in it's beak, leaving through the hole Inuyasha had made. Kagome cursed silently, snatching a bow and arrows from the man standing nearest to her, then leapt onto Inuyasha's back before he could leave without her. He stumbled a little and threw a look over his shoulder at her, but did now slow his pace.   
  
"I'm not responsible if you fall," Inuyasha grumbled, then faltered slightly when he saw her weapon of choice. His look turned strange, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he took off after the crow, leaving Kagome to muse in puzzled silence.   
  
Bounding with Inuyasha was like flying. His landings were brief and quick and dizzying. For the first few moments, she clung to him like a baby to it's mother.   
  
"I can't breathe, you know," Inuyasha choked out after a few moments and, flushing slightly, Kagome loosened her grip. He took a deep, exaggerated breath, then leapt to the air again. It was only a matter of seconds until he was directly under the crow.   
  
"Fire now!" Inuyasha ordered, grasping her legs tightly to give her better balance. "Now we'll see if you're _really_ Kikyo's incarnate!" Kagome nodded, set up the bow and arrow, aimed, and fired.   
  
Of course, she missed. The arrow dwindled in the air before it was even halfway to the crow, then sailed to the ground harmlessly. The crow flapped on, swallowing the jewel in the process.   
  
Inuyasha and Kagome stared with identical blank looks on their faces, then Inuyasha turned his head to give Kagome a dirty look.   
  
"You," he said rather simply, "suck."   
  
Kagome smacked him across the head with the bow. He flattened his ears, but otherwise didn't say anything else. Instead, he sprung back to the air, keeping a sharp eye on the bird. It was getting closer to the town, in search for a quick meal.   
  
"Shit. All those people are going to get in the way," Inuyasha growled. "Damnit! Get out of the way!"   
  
For once, Kagome shared Inuyasha's sentiments. The people had stopped their every day jobs to stare in wonder at the bird-demon that was changing shape before their very eyes, and therefore also making themselves living targets. True to its nature, the crow dipped down and snatched a young boy straight from his mother's arms.   
  
_Oh no! The baby!_   
  
"Perfect!" Inuyasha took advantage of the crow's distraction to take a swipe at it, catching the leg that was clutching the boy, and it's tail, which shattered then reattached itself. The leg didn't get the chance to connect back to the crow's body, because at the same time Inuyasha took his swipe, Kagome leapt from his back and caught the now airborne child, the crow's leg still holding tightly to his arm.   
  
Unfortunately, leaping from Inuyasha's back to catch said child left her with nothing solid to hold _her_ up, either. The baby wailed in her arms and Kagome grimaced, twisting herself in the air so that she would land before the child.   
  
"Idiot!" Inuyasha yelled after her. She looked at him and smiled, relishing his surprised look when she did so, then landed with a splash. To her shock, she was dragged under the water by a strong current. The baby's cry turned into a startled gurgle. Kagome gasped underwater, beating at the water with her free arm and legs. The added weight of the child and her outfit made the process of resurfacing slow and tiring, and for a terrifying moment she thought they wouldn't make it before her air ran out. Right at the moment she felt as if her lungs were going to pop, she broke the surface with a loud gasp. The child, now with air, sputtered and coughed. He was too surprised to start his crying again.   
  
"M-mama!" the baby wailed as Kagome stumbled out of the river. He squirmed from Kagome's arms and ran into his mother's embrace, sobbing into her shoulder while she sobbed into his hair.   
  
"Thank you.. oh, thank you Lady Kagome!"   
  
Kagome smiled at the distraught mother, still holding the leg of the crow, then started slightly when Inuyasha landed lightly beside her. He looked at her with narrowed eyes, but Kagome stopped whatever angry tirade that was about to begin by setting up another bow and arrow.   
  
"What, you think you can hit him now?" Inuyasha asked in disbelief. "He's farther away than he ever was!"   
  
Kagome ignored him and pulled off the ribbon that was tying her hair back. With slightly trembling fingers, she wrapped the squirming leg around the arrow. When she completed this task, she gave Inuyasha a significant look.   
  
"Ohhh.." Inuyasha hummed. He was gaining a bit more respect for this silent girl. Watching almost thoughtfully, he didn't make a move after the demon and let her shoot the arrow after the demon. Its aim was true—perhaps because of the leg—and it caught the crow demon on the side. The entire village watched with disbelieving eyes as a bright explosion enveloped the entire sky.   
  
"..Fuck."   
  
When they reached the remains of the crow, the sun was already making its descent in the sky. Kagome, along with Inuyasha and Lady Kaede, crouched beside it's mutilated body.   
  
Unable to say anything, Kagome reached over and simply plucked exactly one-fourth of the Shikon no Tama from the gore.   
  
"You have GOT to be kidding me," Inuyasha growled. He made a grab for the piece, but Kagome closed her hand around it and drew back. "Hey! Give it here! At least one-fourth will make me stronger than I am now!"   
  
Kagome scowled at him and slipped it down the front of her shirt. He sat back immediately, not about to reach down her shirt to get his prize. He may have been a demon, but he was NOT a lech.   
  
Kagome, though, ignored him after the Shikon piece was safely tucked into her shirt. She had her notepad on her knee and was scribbling on it in a determined fashion.   
  
'Lady Kaede,' it read, 'the Shikon no Tama literally means 'the jewel of four souls, right?'   
  
Lady Kaede read the note out loud for Inuyasha to hear, then looked at Kagome inquisitively. "Yes. Why ever for, lass?"   
  
Kagome fished the jewel from her shirt, ignoring the bland look Inuyasha gave her, then held it up for them all to see. Comprehension dawned on the other two's faces, then Inuyasha sunk completely back to the ground.   
  
"You're telling me.. the jewel was split into four pieces?"   
  
Kagome took the notepad from Lady Kaede's slack hand before the older woman could drop it, then began writing again. She held her notepad out for Inuyasha to see. 'I think so,' she had written. 'That would make sense, wouldn't it?'   
  
"If that's true," Inuyasha said slowly. "Then we are definitely in some deep trouble. Whoever have those other three pieces aren't going to want to give them back. And those three people are going to be damned strong." He turned to look at Lady Kaede, wearing surprisingly thoughtful expression. "Is this what the prophet meant by the 'war amongst demons'?"   
  
Lady Kaede, disturbingly pale, nodded slightly. "I believe so, lad."   
  
"And the fate of the war.." Inuyasha continued, turning to look at Kagome, "..is determined by her, isn't it?"   
  
Lady Kaede nodded again.   
  
"Okay. That's what I thought." Inuyasha pulled himself to his feet and took a deep breath. "Can I kill her now?"   
  
"Of COURSE you may not!" Lady Kaede cried, shocked out of her worry. Kagome tumbled from her crouching position and scooted away from the formidable form of Inuyasha. However, all Inuyasha did was sigh.   
  
"I didn't think so. Well, you're the experienced one. What are we supposed to do, hag?"   
  
"In all me days, lad, I have never experienced anything quite like this."   
  
*   
  
That evening, Kagome climbed to the roof of Lady Kaede's home, desperate for some peace. Inuyasha and Lady Kaede would not stop their bickering (or rather, Inuyasha kept whining loudly at the older lady while Lady Kaede just hummed), and it got even worse when a talking flea decided to join the parade. A talking FLEA, for crying out loud. She left before the situation could get any weirder.   
  
"Stupid," someone growled behind her. "What do you think you're doing, sitting all alone out here where anyone can grab you?"   
  
Kagome jumped and whirled around, nearly slipping. She was caught, though, by a sturdy clawed hand.   
  
"See?" Inuyasha said, raising an eyebrow. "You don't even know how to balance on this thing."   
  
She gave him a deadly look and turned her back to him, looking up at the sky. Inuyasha sat beside her, folding his arms into his sleeves.   
  
"Came out here to escape, didn't you?" Inuyasha asked, tilting his head to look at the sky, also. "That was Myoga back there, a close friend of my father's. He's a cowardly idiot, but good with information." For some reason, Inuyasha's voice got rather wistful.   
  
Kagome turned to look at Inuyasha, then fished out her notebook and scribbled something on it. She had to squint, since the only light in the sky was from the moon and the stars. 'Why are you here?'   
  
Inuyasha, with his sharpened senses, didn't even need to squint. Instead, he looked over the words, then back at Kagome. "To escape too, I guess. Myoga started talking about my mom, and I didn't want to hear it."   
  
Kagome gave him a quizzical look and Inuyasha's face became shuttered. "It's none of your business, really. Besides, I came out here to ask you something."   
  
Not bothering to respond to him by writing, she raised her eyebrow.   
  
"What were you doing with your hands back then?" he asked, keeping his eyes carefully trained to the sky. Kagome looked surprised.   
  
'I was talking in sign language. It's how the deaf and mute communicate each other, by forming words and letters with their fingers.'   
  
He looked at the notepad for a long moment, a thoughtful expression on his face. For a long moment he sat in silence, Kagome having no choice but to do the same.   
  
"Will you.." he cleared his throat almost nervously, "..will you teach me how to do this 'sign language'?"   
  
Kagome, startled, could only stare at Inuyasha for a couple of seconds. Then she smiled, bright and friendly, nodded, and Inuyasha quickly turned his gaze back to the sky, embarrassment clear on his features.   
  
"..Thanks," he said quietly.   
  
For the rest of the night, Inuyasha and Kagome sat under the stars in companionable silence.   
  
*   
  
'NO.'   
  
Despite that Inuyasha was a quick learner, he was terribly impatient.   
  
'That is NOT how you do it!'   
  
Unfortunately, so was Kagome.   
  
"Well, how do you do it, then?!" Inuyasha growled, irritation plain in his voice. Kagome looked as if she wanted to growl at him, but instead she dropped her notepad and pen, taking Inuyasha's hands in hers and carefully forming his hands to make the words. His hands were rough and large under her small delicate ones.   
  
"Oh," Inuyasha mumbled, looking justifiably flustered. He hadn't been in such a close proximity to someone of the opposite gender in over fifty years. "So, um, what does it mean?" His voice was soft, as if he didn't want to break the moment.   
  
Kagome gently released his hands, looking slightly flustered herself. She wasn't used to being around boys, since they generally steered clear of her and her disability. With slightly trembling fingers, she wrote, 'it means, "may I have some food?"'   
  
Inuyasha raised his eyebrows, all forms of embarrassment gone. "Really?"   
  
Kagome nodded, then grinned as Inuyasha formed the words again, jerky and slow but otherwise perfect. "Like that?"   
  
Smiling, she nodded again. He grinned at her, widely. "Okay, show me another."   
  
Shaking her head, she slowly formed another set of words with her fingers. He watched carefully, then tried to mimic her.   
  
She blinked. Blinked again, then burst out laughing.   
  
"Hey.. hey! What's so funny?" Inuyasha asked, quickly stopping. He scowled at her, all good humor disappearing. "Why are you laughing, wench?"   
  
Still laughing, she reached over and picked her notepad up. Trembling slightly with mirth, she wrote, 'you just said, "I am an angry fecund donkey".'   
  
Inuyasha stared at the paper with disbelieving eyes, then gently plucked the notepad from her hands. Delicately, he ripped the paper out, then tore it into shreds. He pinned Kagome with a dry look.   
  
"We are never going to speak of this again."   
  
Kagome collapsed into gales of soundless laughter.   
  
*   
  
It was later that evening the talking flea finally located Inuyasha and forced him to listen.   
  
"Lord Inuyasha! It is IMPERATIVE you listen to me!" the flea said rapidly, hopping after the quick-walking Inuyasha. "Lord Inuyasha! Lord INUYASHA! Stop this instant!"   
  
Or rather, tried to.   
  
Kagome, who was walking slowly by the little bouncing flea, sighed and pulled out her whistle. She was getting tired of listening to the flea shout after the hard headed dog demon.   
  
"Ow!" Inuyasha grumbled into the dirt. Myoga, unseen by Kagome's eyes, blinked, then hopped onto Inuyasha's prone form.   
  
"Thank you, Lady.. ah.. Lady.. what did you say your name was again?"   
  
"Her name is Kagome." Inuyasha's voice was still muffled by the dirt. "And she never said what her name is. She's mute."   
  
Myoga bounced up and down in embarrassment, then settled onto Inuyasha's shoulder as the much larger demon sat up.   
  
"I apologize, Lady Kagome," Myoga said hurriedly, then turned around to look at Inuyasha. "Lord Inuyasha, what is your hurry anyway?"   
  
"You _know_ the war between demons is about to start. We're going to go find out where the other pieces of the jewel are, and then start forming an army." He sounded so sure of himself, but Kagome couldn't figure out what there was to be sure of. They weren't positive anyone else besides the inhabitants of Lady Kaede's village would be willing to join this 'army' Inuyasha was talking about.   
  
Myoga bounced up and down on Inuyasha's shoulder, bug eyes wide. "Then it would be a good thing for you to know that Lord Sesshomaru is looking for you, wouldn't it?"   
  
There was a beat of silence, then Inuyasha reached up and pressed his thumb against Myoga, successfully squishing him. Kagome put her hands up to her mouth, afraid he had killed the talking flea. A few seconds later, however, Myoga popped back into his original form.   
  
"That hurt, Lord Inuyasha!"   
  
"Well, that's what you get for not telling me sooner!" Inuyasha shouted back. Kagome looked back and forth between them, pulled out her notepad and wrote,   
  
'Who's "Lord Sesshomaru"?'   
  
"Lord Sesshomaru," Myoga answered before Inuyasha could, "is Lord Inuyasha's older half brother."   
  
'Oh,' she wrote, not catching onto Myoga's flair of drama. He looked annoyed at that, but she couldn't see his features. 'Well, then, couldn't we ask him to be a part of our "army"?'   
  
"You don't understand," Inuyasha grumbled. His face was dark and stormy—unlike Kagome, he wasn't very good at hiding his emotions. "Sesshomaru hates my guts."   
  
Kagome blinked, not understanding. [Why?] she asked in sign language—that had been one of the first words she had taught him. Inuyasha puzzled over the movements of her hands for a moment, then sighed.   
  
"What did she say, Lord Inuyasha?" Myoga asked, still bouncing. He knew she was talking through her hands, but he couldn't figure out for the life of him what the rapid movements meant.   
  
"She asked why." His voice was clipped and moody, and Kagome had a feeling _he_ wouldn't be the one to answer her.   
  
She was right. "Because," Myoga said solemnly, for once ceasing his hyperactive hopping, "Inuyasha's a half-breed. Sesshomaru sees him as a stain in their family name."   
  
Kagome grimaced, knowing at once how Inuyasha felt. She knew Sota didn't share the same sentiments as Sesshomaru, but sometimes Kagome got the feeling that her little brother was embarrassed of her when he had friends over.   
  
"So, Myoga, why is Sesshomaru looking for me, then? Since you seem to know so much.."   
  
"He is searching for the tomb of your father."   
  
Inuyasha raked his fingers through his hair. "Oh, that's good. So?"   
  
"Inuyasha," Myoga said clearly, dropping the formalities. This caught Inuyasha's attention rather well. "He knows _where_ the grave is."   
  
Immediately, Inuyasha's hand flew up to his left eye. A pregnant silence fell over the group, and Kagome reached over to hesitantly write on her notepad again.   
  
'That's not good, is it?'   
  
"Yes, Kagome, that is REALLY not good."   
  
'He's strong, isn't he?'   
  
"Extremely."   
  
Kagome chewed on the back of her pen for a moment, then very eloquently wrote, 'well, shit.'   
  
"My sentiments exactly."   
  
.:end chapter two:.   
  
A/N: As you can see, this is going to be fairly different than the series. Actually, it's going to be EXTREMELY different. From this point on, I'm not following the format of the manga, aside from a few parts. And characters. I'm keeping some characters, and creating some new ones. 


	3. Brother Dearest, part one

All right! No more break time for me! I'm getting my butt into gear, I swear!  
..College and this is going to kill me, I hope you people know. >.>;;;   
  
--   
  
Sesshômaru was stomping about in a fury. Of course it wasn't natural for him to do such a thing, but with the events that had been continuing relentlessly these past couple of days, he found there wasn't much else to do other than stomp huffily. It didn't matter where he stomped—he found it quite effective just to travel around in a circle. In fact, the only problem with his new and rather enjoyable habit was the toad-like creature that insisted on following him. He had intended for this stomping to be a private sport.   
  
"Jaken," Sesshômaru growled, finally halting. It was the fifteenth time he had completed the circle without a break. Jaken, the toady creature, collapsed with relief on top of his horrendous, two headed staff.   
  
"Y-yes, Lord Sesshômaru?"   
  
"How in the seven hells did you miss a demon who has been stuck to a forsaken tree for fifty years?" His voice was surprisingly calm. All the stomping _did_ seem to vent his anger, thankfully for Jaken. He didn't fancy being slaughtered.   
  
"Well, ah, sir, it seems as if he had escaped from the tree a week before predicted. That's all I could get out from the old crone before she cursed me and my entire family line before she kicked me out," Jaken finished bitterly. Sometimes he didn't like working for Lord Sesshômaru.   
  
"And have there been any sightings?" Sesshômaru persisted. His expression was mild but Jaken had learned long ago not to trust what he saw. The unfortunate thing was that Sesshômaru _always_ looked mild, even when he was really mad or really happy.   
  
"No, sir," Jaken finally muttered weakly. Sesshômaru may not show his emotions, but this was something that anyone in the dog-demon's position would get irritated about.   
  
"And you are positive he has the grave," Sesshômaru continued ruthlessly. Jaken found himself trembling.   
  
"Yes, sir."   
  
There was a long silence in which Sesshômaru seemed to be puzzling out many things in his mind. He sighed, took a deep breath, then sighed again.   
  
"What use is hired help if you have to do all the work yourself?" And, almost as if he was deciding to take his sport out side the circle, he began stomping off in no particular direction. Jaken lay immobile for a long moment before scrambling to his feet.   
  
"Wait, Lord Sesshômaru!"   
  


**Musei**  
Chapter Three: Brother Dearest, part one  
By Clara  


  
  
Sesshômaru, quite accidentally, happened across the motley group a scant three days after his departure. It was such an accident that the two brothers walked right past each other before they both halted at the same time, equally bewildered. Instantly, they were facing each other.   
  
"You know," Sesshômaru began conversationally, "I was just looking for you."   
  
"Funny," Inuyasha responded, just as conversationally, "I was just avoiding you."   
  
His dark haired companion was watching them intensely. She had situated herself quite safely behind Inuyasha, which of course was extremely interesting to Sesshômaru.   
  
"Interesting how things work out. I see you have taken to traveling with your own kind," Sesshômaru continued, examining the girl. She was rather pretty, if not a bit fierce looking. "Human filth."   
  
Of course, the girl bristled and, imperceptibly to the human eye, Inuyasha inched closer to the girl. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on the viewpoint you come from), Sesshômaru didn't have human eyes. He smirked. So the human was his little brother's weak point.   
  
Well.   
  
Faster than humanly possible, Sesshômaru was behind Kagome with his claws at her neck. To his surprise, she didn't make a sound. A bit too late Inuyasha noticed his brother was gone and whirled around, eyes widening when he saw where the older man was. The half demon locked eyes with the girl, expression unreadable.   
  
"You see, brother, I've been traveling a long time with this toad here," Sesshômaru said, gesturing to the slightly offended and considerably forgotten Jaken. "A very long time. And I know you know what I've been looking for."   
  
Inuyasha watched Sesshômaru's claws intently, barely listening to what he was saying.   
  
"Give me the grave or I'll kill the girl."   
  
"And what do I care about the girl?" Inuyasha asked flippantly, but his eyes were darting around in a desperate search for a way to save Kagome.   
  
"Oh, you care plenty." He drew the scarf away from Kagome's neck and dropped it to the ground. Kagome grimaced and Inuyasha's eyes were immediately drawn to her neck.   
  
It was as if someone with very long claws had tried to slice off the poor girl's head a very long time ago, and Sesshômaru was making it worse by threatening to finish the job. For some reason, that ignited the rather protective side of Inuyasha. His eyes flared with a horrible type of fury.   
  
_How interesting.._   
  
"If I.." Inuyasha began, his voice grating out in an almost unintelligible growl. He cleared his throat and tried again, keeping his gaze leveled with Kagome's tear-filled one. "If I let you have the stupid grave, then you must promise to never, _ever_ harm that girl in your arms.. or to kill her, or to hurt her, or to have anyone else under your word harm, kill, or hurt her in anyway way. Once I give you the grave, you can never touch her unless to help."   
  
All of them stared, quite justifiably, at Inuyasha for his demands. Kagome looked a little put out. She wasn't fond of being manhandled.   
  
"You have quite some nerve, brother.." Sesshômaru began, but was halted with a piercing look.   
  
"Promise me, on your honor as a demon, or you will never lay a finger on our father's grave."   
  
The two stared at each other for what felt like eons for all the members of the party. Finally, Sesshômaru gave a slight inclination of the head.   
  
"I promise you, on my honor as a demon," Sesshômaru let her go and gently pushed her forward, "that I will never hurt, kill or harm the girl in any way, and will never have anyone hurt, kill or harm her in any way. And I will never touch unless it is to help her."   
  
They stared at each other again for an even longer time before, Sesshômaru's face entirely blank. They all knew, however, that he was just bristling with fury. _No_ one ordered the great Sesshômaru around.   
  
At last, Inuyasha nodded.   
  
"It is in my left eye.   
  
There was a beat of silence, then several things happened at once.   
  
Jaken leapt at Inuyasha. "How dare you lie to my Lord Sesshômaru?!"   
  
Kagome lifted her hands to cover a silent gasp.   
  
Sesshômaru raised his eyebrows. "Your left eye? Ingenious." He paused. "Since when did I become 'your' Lord Sesshômaru?"   
  
Inuyasha side-stepped the airborne toad.   
  
"But it makes perfect sense. 'Cannot be seen by the holder'. Father left you with the knowledge of the whereabouts, did he? That I find rather odd."   
  
"I suppose he did it to help me keep it away from assholes like you."   
  
Somewhere behind Inuyasha, there was a muffled, "Don't speak to Lord Sesshômaru like that!" It was ignored.   
  
"Pity you are a failure, then." With the same speed he used to catch Kagome, Sesshômaru placed himself in front of Inuyasha. "Oh well, you most certainly did not deserve the inheritance, anyway." And with that, Sesshômaru jammed his forefinger and middle finger into his brother's eye. Once again, he was disappointed with the lack of response at his actions. However, such petty thoughts were banished as he yanked a small black pearl from Inuyasha's eye triumphantly. He dropped his younger brother and Inuyasha sunk to the ground in pain, one hand securely over his eye. The silent girl rushed to his side and before he could regret striking such a deal with Sesshômaru (he rather liked having his eye intact), Kagome had her arms wrapped around him.   
  
"Finally," Sesshômaru hissed, whirling back to face Jaken. "Jaken!"   
  
"Yes, Lord Sesshômaru!" The toad took the pearl from Sesshômaru's hand and set it on the ground, placing the end of the forgotten staff on the bead with a clink. To Kagome's horror, one of the heads began to cackle.   
  
"It is the one, Lord Sesshômaru!" Jaken crowed, and a portal opened over the bead. A small smile graced Sesshômaru's lips and he stepped through, Jaken following like a faithful puppy.   
  
Kagome's face twisted with vehemence. _Human! Ha! As if he's sooo much better than me for being a dog!_   
  
"Inuyasha!" a miniscule voice squeaked. Kagome and Inuyasha turned to look at Myoga. He was perched atop Inuyasha's knee. "You must go after him! He cannot get his hands on the Tetsusaiga!"   
  
"Ow," Inuyasha responded, pushing himself to his feet. "Coward. Showing up only when Sesshômaru left." He sighed and shoved his fingers into his bangs. "Kagome, you wait.. eh? Kagome?"   
  
The dark haired girl was waiting impatiently for him with one foot in the portal.   
  
"You.." Inuyasha said, appraising her, "are the weirdest girl I have _ever_ met."   
  
And they went through the portal.   
  
Kagome noticed, quite irritably, that she wanted to scream more and more often. This was one of those times. She also noticed that she was traveling through way too many portals that lead her to shocking places too many times to be considered normal. Her current destination, for instance, was approaching her at a stomach-twisting rate. Before she could curse any deity that came to mind, however, she was snagged by Inuyasha. Of course, this would have been quite worthless if he hadn't landed on the back of a large, flying bird carcass.   
  
Ahead of them was a humongous skeleton of a dog. To give one an idea of just how big this skeleton was, the smallest tooth in its mouth was easily three times as tall as Inuyasha.   
  
Kagome stared at it for a long time, then turned to look at her white-haired companion.   
  
"Yup. That's Dad. Can't you see the resemblance?"   
  
The bird carcass flew into the mouth of Inuyasha's father, alternately setting them down somewhere in the skeleton's stomach and saving Kagome from having to answer Inuyasha's preposterous question. Not that she would have been able to give much of one.   
  
"Ah, little brother, you came. I was waiting for you." Sesshômaru was standing behind a brittle looking sword, looking smug. "I wanted you to be the first to witness the magnificence of the Tetsusaiga."   
  
"How touching," Inuyasha said sarcastically. His eye was already starting to heal, but the pupil and iris were so clouded that it was obvious he couldn't see much out of it. Kagome, however, marveled at the speed he healed and decided to bug him when he wasn't about to either a, get his but kicked by Sesshômaru, or b, kick Sesshômaru's butt. You know, whichever happened first.   
  
Sesshômaru smiled benignly at him and placed a hand around the Tetsusaiga's hilt, obviously intending to yank it out. However, just as Inuyasha shoved Kagome behind him and fell to a crouching position, sparks of electricity wrapped around Sesshômaru's hand and forced him back several steps.   
  
The audience blinked.   
  
"Impressive, brother," Inuyasha snickered quite caustically. Sesshômaru frowned.   
  
"Sarcasm doesn't suit you," he said, then sighed. "I suppose I'll just have to kill you. Then this journey won't have been a _total_ waste.."   
  
Inuyasha grinned dangerously, shoved Kagome a safe distance away, and crouched into a battle stance.   
  
"Now you're speaking my language." And, quite brashly, Inuyasha lunged at the older man. He swung his claws in a wide (and easy to dodge) arc, intending to slice his brother in half. All he got was a lock of white hair as Sesshômaru dodged, bare feet hardly disturbing the many skulls under them. Inuyasha, like a raging bull, broke everything that got in his way.   
  
"Face it, little brother. You're much too slow for me," Sesshômaru mocked, dodging another flurry of blows Inuyasha attempted to rain down on him. With what looked like just a flick of his wrist, Sesshômaru sent Inuyasha across their father's stomach. Inuyasha flipped several times in midair, his hand reaching up to clutch the side of his face—three bleeding stripes decorated his cheek. When he landed, he skidded several feet and scattered dozens of skulls before he came to a stop by the rusty sword. It stood in silence as Inuyasha slowly turned to it.   
  
"Inuyasha!" Myoga called. "Pull the sword!"   
  
The half-demon stood, swaying slightly. He was still staring at the sword.   
  
"This old thing?" he asked, turning to glance at Myoga. The flea was hopping up and down frantically on Kagome's shoulder, who was standing a safe distance away beside Jaken.   
  
"Don't be stupid," Jaken sneered. "If Lord Sesshômaru can't pull the sword out, no one can!"   
  
Kagome grabbed Jaken's staff and conked him a good one with it.   
  
"Trust me, Inuyasha, you can do it! Your father left the sword as an inheritance to _you_ not Sesshômaru! Besides," Myoga floundered when he saw Inuyasha still looked like he didn't care much, "imagine Sesshômaru's face when you pull it out when _he_ can't."   
  
This seemed to convince Inuyasha more than anything else Myoga had said and he started for the sword. Sesshômaru neither did nor said nothing, merely watching with his hands in his sleeves.   
  
The sword, like it did to Sesshômaru, turned Inuyasha down.   
  
"Shit," Myoga muttered and Kagome, wearing an extremely put upon look, squashed the old bug.   
  
"This is getting boring, Inuyasha," Sesshômaru drawled.   
  
"What, am I supposed to entertain you?" Inuyasha spun around, not at all put out that the sword rejected him. "Fine. Here's a piece I'd like call.." he lunged again, grinning in such a way that would send a normal man running, "..Eat Dirt, Asshole!"   
  
Kagome grinned, then grinned wider when Jaken attempted to touch the sword and ended up several feet across the stomach, charred and swirly eyed.   
  
It seemed as if Inuyasha was able to pick up some of his brother's moves because instead of merely flailing about like he appeared to be doing earlier, he actually managed to get a strike in. As if by magic, another stripe was added to Sesshômaru's six other ones. The both leapt back, studying each other with calculating eyes: Inuyasha trying to find a weakness and Sesshômaru with a bit more respect.   
  
"You're a quick learner, Inuyasha. Too bad you have to die." He dashed towards Inuyasha, forcing the younger boy to retreat. "Now."   
  
_Inuyasha!_ Not thinking much else, Kagome lunged towards her white haired companion, grabbing the nearest thing she thought could be used as a weapon and yanking it to her side.   
  
There was a resounding clang as the sword came free from its resting place, causing both men to freeze in their tracks and Myoga to fall off Kagome's shoulder.   
  
Embarrassed, Kagome looked back and forth at each brother's face.   
  
_Whoops._   
  
Inuyasha bound towards her and gave her a hard look. "How," he said evenly as she handed him the sword, "did you do that?"   
  
She shrugged and tried her best innocent look and was returned with an extremely dry one. Inuyasha shook his head slowly and turned towards Sesshômaru, quite surprised to see his brother wearing a bemused expression.   
  
"It makes perfect sense," Sesshômaru said. "After all, father _was_ a human lover. Very well." His eyes shown red and his delicate features twisted. As he walked towards Inuyasha, his human form elongated and writhed. "I will just have to kill you in my true form." The humanoid form collapsed completely, leaving in his wake a dog the size of a large house. It growled menacingly and succeeded in scaring the hell out of Kagome. Inuyasha, however, clenched his teeth together and swung the battered sword as hard as he could against Sesshômaru's chest. It was like a toddler swinging a waffle bat against a brick wall.   
  
"Fuck," Inuyasha growled, leaping back. It was a good thing he did, too, because Sesshômaru's paw demolished the skulls where his brother was standing a second later. Inuyasha pivoted, leapt to the air, and swung the sword down as if attempting to chop off Sesshômaru's snout. The rickety sword bounced harmlessly off.   
  
The situation seemed impossible. Inuyasha weighed the options in his mind, then was distracted by Kagome ruthlessly beating Jaken over the head with his own staff.   
  
He leapt towards her, giving her quite the shock and nearly getting himself brained in the process. He gave her a flat look.   
  
"Kagome, let's get out of here. I can survive Sesshômaru in this form, but you don't stand a chance."   
  
Stubbornly, Kagome shook her head. She handed him a note that she had written earlier.   
  
'So you're going to give up?'   
  
"NO! Of course not! Don't be an idiot." He glared at her, then sighed. "Damnit, don't look at me like that, either. Of course I'm going to protect you."   
  
As he turned around, he noticed another note he had overlooked.   
  
'I believe in you.'   
  
He smiled and tucked the note into his shirt, then stared resolutely up at Sesshômaru. The demon gave him a doggy grin and Inuyasha froze.   
  
"A.. heartbeat?"   
  
He glanced at the sword for a second, but that was all the time Sesshômaru needed. Suddenly, the large dog was on top of him, obscuring Inuyasha from the bystander's view. A rather battered Jaken cheered and Jaken gasped.   
  
"Poor Inuyasha," Myoga mourned, shaking his small head.   
  
There was a beat of silence, then it was as if Sesshômaru's front leg disconnected from his body. Inuyasha, holding a very much transformed, gleaming Tetsusaiga over his head, panted and grinned as Sesshômaru howled. The humanoid of the two was dyed completely red with Sesshômaru's blood.   
  
"Well, brother, you were right. This is one hell of an inheritance." Inuyasha grinned broadly, teeth startling white against his bloody face. Sesshômaru, knowing defeat when it slapped him across the face, turned heel and fled. Jaken just managed to grab onto his tail.   
  
As soon as Sesshômaru disappeared, Inuyasha collapsed. He almost made it to the ground, but Kagome caught him. He grinned at her worried eyes.   
  
"Tolja I'd protect you."   
  
*   
  
Back at the village Kagome fretted fitfully over an irritated Inuyasha. Although most of the blood had been Sesshômaru's, Inuyasha was still littered with several wounds.   
  
"Oi, woman, for the hundredth time already! I'm all right!" Inuyasha growled, trying to push her away but unwilling to exude such energy. She scowled at him and put her hands on her hips. "Look, all I need is a little sleep."   
  
With that, he jumped into a tree and left her along. She huffed silently. Well. If he felt that way, she would just go home! Yeah, and get a first-aid kit!   
  
Her cheerful gait faltered suddenly as a wave of guilt washed over her. That was the first time she had thought of her home, and it was only because she wanted to get a couple of band-aids and disinfectants.   
  
_Oh hell, Mom is probably worried sick._ She started briskly towards the well. _Gods, I don't know if I can even _get_ home!_   
  
She didn't even slow down when she heard Inuyasha land lightly beside her.   
  
"Where are you going?" he asked casually, trying to sound as if he wasn't _really_ curious. Kagome didn't stop walking while she wrote.   
  
'Home.'   
  
"Oh," Inuyasha said, still conversationally. "Where's that?"   
  
'Through the well, roughly 500 years in the future.'   
  
"Oh," Inuyasha said again. He paused and looked surprised. "Really?"   
  
Kagome nodded and Inuyasha frowned.   
  
"Well, how long are you going to be there?"   
  
This time it was Kagome's turn to pause. She seemed to think for a long time before she wrote.   
  
'Uh, for good?'   
  
Well. Inuyasha decided rather quickly that he disagreed strongly with that statement. He leapt in front of her and crossed his arms over his chest, becoming quite the sufficient road block.   
  
"No way."   
  
Kagome glared at him and started to write quickly. 'Look, Inuyasha. I had a life before this and I'm not about to drop it to hunt for a broken jewel.'   
  
"That you broke," Inuyasha reminded, causing her to grimace.   
  
'I'll be back, I swear.'   
  
"One day."   
  
'Three.'   
  
"One and a half and that's final, or else I'm coming back to get you."   
  
Kagome gave him a bleak look, then trudged around him towards her original destination. He followed doggedly, scrunching his nose.   
  
When the got to the well Kagome shot him another bleak look. The prospect of going home, eating a real meal, taking a real shower, sleeping on a real bed and getting out of her real dirty clothing was beginning to sound more and more appealing. The only thing that was making her regret going was the stony hurt puppy look Inuyasha was giving her. She smiled fondly at him and reached over to momentarily touch his face. And then she was gone.   
  
Inuyasha peered into the well, hoping beyond hope he would see her sulkily standing at the bottom. She wasn't, and he sighed and sat on the edge of the well. He would sit there until she came back if he had to.   
  
He still needed to ask her about those scars.   
  
*   
  
Sota, Grandpa and Mother routinely visited the well to see if Kagome would appear. Surprisingly, none of them were particularly worried about her. Kagome was a strong girl, despite her handicap. If anyone decided to bother her on the other side of that well, Kagome was sure to raise hell for them.   
  
What astounded them when they got to the well that day, however, was the haggard, bloody, and exhausted looking Kagome standing at the door of the well house.   
  
[Hi,] she signed, smiling grimly at their horrified expression. [You won't believe what happened to me.]   
  
And, as if following a script, Sota, Grandpa and Mother gathered the now crying Kagome into a tight hug.   
  
*   
  
Ten minutes into the waiting for Kagome to return, a young monk walked by Inuyasha. Curious, the monk walked by him again. Apparently not satisfied, he walked past Inuyasha one more time.   
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing, monk?!" Inuyasha growled, quite fed up with being circled. The monk grinned easily.   
  
"Tell me, are you the demon who was trapped to the Go-Shin-Boku for fifty years?" the monk asked cheerfully, leaning on his staff. He was draped in purple and black robes and had, quite curiously, prayer beads wrapped around one of his hands.   
  
"Yeah. And?" Inuyasha was still growling and was now very much on guardl.   
  
"Wonderful! Where's the girl?" The monk looked around eagerly. Too eagerly for Inuyasha's taste.   
  
"Not here right now."   
  
The staff seemed to 'slip' from the monk's hand and 'land' on Inuyasha's head. Gone was the cheerful little smile.   
  
"Ow!" Inuyasha yelped, clutching his head. His ears were flattened. "What was _that_ for?!"   
  
"You scared her away, didn't you?" the monk accused, staff securely back in his hand.   
  
"No! She just went home for a couple of days!" Inuyasha growled. "Who the hell do you think you are?!"   
  
"Ah, pity. I don't have a couple of days." The monk's face fell slightly. It brightened again, though, fairly quickly. "My name's Miroku. Do tell her I need to speak to her, though. Now, however, I must talk to the head lady of your village and then prepare. We will see each other again, Inuyasha."   
  
And then he was gone, leaving Inuyasha with a sore head and wondering why he didn't flatten the monk for whapping him.   
  
*   
  
The general feeling at Kagome's house was that her day and a half back home went by much too quickly. They agreed, though, that there was no way they could keep her at the current time when there was so much happening in the past. This, of course, as time travel tends to do, arose much confusion in the proper verb tense to use when speaking of Kagome's excursions. How could they talk about things that were about to happen when those same things already happened? Of course, all that wondering succeeded in doing was give Kagome a headache.   
  
But nonetheless, when her day and a half vacation was over, it ended with a bang.   
  
Her watch told her it was 11:45, meaning she had fifteen minutes to double check her supplies. Water bottles (three, to be exact)—check. Pot to boil water in when her water supply ran out—check. Half a dozen packets of instant ramen—check. Several changes of clothing—check. Hairbrush, toothpaste, toothbrush (she actually brought two, deciding to introduce Inuyasha to the concept of brushing teeth), razor, towel, etc.—check. Pillow and sleeping bag—check. All her missing homework—check. First-aid kit—check. Pens and pencils—che..   
  
"That's quite a startling array of supplies you've got there for someone who has pneumonia," Yuka quite unfairly interrupted, nearly causing Kagome to topple over in shock. She whirled around, eyes meeting her bemused cousin's guiltily.   
  
[Yuka! What are you doing here?] Kagome signed frantically, shooting a glance at her watch. Five minutes to twelve.   
  
"Just coming by to see why my favorite cousin never goes to school anymore and always seems to be sick. I even brought you some chicken soup." Yuka paused, appraising her cousin. "Though it doesn't look like you need it. Looks more like you're going to be roughing it in the well for a couple of weeks."   
  
Yuka was the only person Kagome could fairly call a friend. The two had been together since the moment they were born, each finding an adventurous kinship in the other that made them closer if possible. And they were always there for each other. Kagome was there when Yuka's mother and Kagome's only aunt (by marriage) had been diagnosed with leukemia and later died. Yuka was there when Kagome's father was killed in a car accident. She was also there when they found Kagome in an ally barely hanging onto her life, and cried with the girl when they found out she would never speak again. She was there to yell at her peers for bullying Kagome for her handicap. He, Yuka was _always_ there for Kagome and the two of them shared _everything._   
  
So one could imagine how guilty Kagome felt when she realized she hadn't sought out her friend to share this amazing secret.   
  
[It's a long story,] she signed uselessly, once again glancing at her watch. A minute had passed.   
  
"I've got time," Yuka responded, watching Kagome shrewdly.   
  
[I don't.] Kagome shot her cousin a pleading, helpless look. More than anything she wished Yuka would drop it.   
  
Of course, she didn't. Instead, her shrewd look became worried.   
  
"Is there someone after you? Is that why you're hiding in the well?"   
  
As plausible as this conclusion was, it was even more ridiculous. [Of course not,] Kagome signed, now not even bothering to take her eyes off her watch. [Look, I promise to tell you everything later..]   
  
"And leave me to worry about you while you're gone? I don't think so." Yuka walked towards Kagome, and consequently towards the well, and even more consequently on top of a bone. Letting out a cry of surprise, Yuka slipped and tumbled, hands stretched out in front of her..   
  
..right into the well.   
  
_SHIT!_   
  
.:end chapter three:.   
  
It should be fairly obvious why I sent Yuka back in time. If you can't figure it out, it's mainly because Kagome obviously needs someone who can understand/speak sign-language, otherwise life would become near impossible for the poor mute girl as time went on.   
  
To answer some reviews—Inuyasha WOULD only be about twenty to thirty feet from the ground if he leapt onto one of the branches of a tree. The entire _height_ of the tree is about a hundred feet from the ground, whereas some of the lower branches are about twenty to thirty feet. The convenience for the whistle—well, the prayer beads in general were pretty convenient, weren't they? Anyway.. yeah. @@ Thanks for pointing these things out. I'm sorry it took me so long to update but.. well, life happens. 


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